In the News

December 9, 2016 | The 2016 election is over. Ballots have been cast, and (most) federal candidates know the outcome of their hard-fought races. Yet company PACs and even individuals are still writing checks to candidates’ campaign committees, even though the campaigns they’re funding are done. “Giving after the election clearly shows the donation is not given to support…

December 8, 2016 | Should we restrict political contributions? How have weakened political parties impacted this election? Can public financing work? President-elect Donald Trump pledged to “drain the swamp,” yet has not proposed changes to the campaign finance system. So experts in the field with various viewpoints ran through scenarios at a forum organized by New York University and law firm Sidley Austin on…

December 8, 2016 | When the Army Corp of Engineers announced Sunday it would block construction of an essential part of the Dakota Access Pipeline Project and study alternative routes, thousands of protestors at the site — members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, environmentalists, veterans and others — joined hands in jubilation. Concern about potential damage to the…

December 6, 2016 | No (public) experience required. Neurosurgeon Ben Carson has been tapped to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, despite never holding public office in his career. (Even Carson admitted he would be a “fish out of water” as a federal bureaucrat a few weeks back.) However, since the former director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins did run…

December 6, 2016 | With the spectacle of the post-election presidential transition taking center stage, it’s easy to forget there’s still a U.S. Senate race pending. Under the Bayou State’s unique system, all 24 Senate candidates appeared on the Nov. 8 general election ballot. None received a majority, so on Saturday the top two vote-getters will face off: Republican…

December 1, 2016 | It’s no secret that Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Education Department, is a political fundraising juggernaut. Her contributions to candidates and school choice causes around the country have been all over the news since she was named the nominee. More consequential, though, are the depth and breadth of contributions by her family…

November 30, 2016 | Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein is picking up the fundraising pace…a month after the actual election. Stein’s team says it has brought in $6.4 million in less than a week to recount votes in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. That’s $3 million more — or almost double — what she raised for her presidential campaign through Oct.…

November 29, 2016 | Democratic House Speaker Tip O’Neill famously claimed that “all politics is local.” True, but it’s increasingly global as well — especially for the roughly 5.7 million U.S. citizens living outside the nation’s borders. Whatever the reason for their travels, Americans abroad can and do participate in politics and give to campaigns. The Federal Voting Assistance…

November 28, 2016 | While names were announced for a slew of appointments to President-elect Donald Trump’s administration last week, there are still some significant posts left — like running the Interior Department, which is in charge of wildlife and natural resources. Oil execs and other pro-development types seem to be the leading contenders here, meaning it’s likely that…

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